To tackle the problems arising from the ageing of water mains in a cost effective manner whilst minimising the effects on the general public, we need to replace and rehabilitate the aged water mains in stages in a systematic manner. Main considerations include the following -

  1. avoidance of unnecessary water supply disruption to consumers as a result of excessive amount of works,
  2. avoidance of unnecessary traffic disruption during construction as a result of excessive road opening works, and
  3. cost effectiveness of the works with priority given to water mains more susceptible to leakage and bursting.

The total estimated cost of the R&R programme is about HK$22.8 billion. A breakdown of estimated costs in individual stages of the R&R programme is presented below:-

Estimated Costs of R&R Works at Different Stages

Note: The total estimated cost of R&R works is subject to change pending the completion of the investigation and design work under R&R Stage 4 works.

We are taking forward the replacement and rehabilitation works in stages as follows -

  Stage 1
To bring about early improvement, we implement the stage 1 works in two phases -
  (1) Stage 1 Phase 1
   
  • Works comprise replacement and rehabilitation of about 350 kilometres of water mains throughout the territory.
  • Advance works comprising replacement of about 33 kilometres of water mains commenced in December 2000 and were completed by February 2006.
  • Main works (remaining works) commenced in June 2003 for completion in December 2008.
  (2) Stage 1 Phase 2
   
  • Works comprise replacement and rehabilitation of about 250 kilometres of water mains throughout the territory.
  • Advance works in Sha Tin and Tai Wai comprising replacement and rehabilitation of about 9 kilometres of water mains commenced in September 2005 and were completed by end 2007.
  • Main works (remaining works) commenced in August 2006 for completion in March 2010.
  Stage 2
 
  • Works comprise replacement and rehabilitation of about 750 kilometres of water mains throughout the territory.
  • Works commenced in January 2007 for completion in 2011.
  Stage 3
 
  • Works comprise replacement and rehabilitation of about 800 kilometres of water mains throughout the territory.
  • Investigation and detailed design for the project has commenced in October 2006.
  • Works commenced in September 2008 for completion in 2013.
  Stage 4
 
  • Works comprise replacement and rehabilitation of about 850 kilometres of water mains throughout the territory.
  • Investigation and detailed design for the project commenced in September 2008.
  • Works have been scheduled to commence in early 2011 for completion in 2015.

 

The monthly production rate of the R&R programme is about 30 km. The updated progress of works in respect of various stages is presented in the table and figure below:-

 

Stage/Phase Length (km) Commencement Completion Progress
(as At Jun 10)
Stage 1 Phase 1 350 Dec 2000 Dec 2008 100%
Stage 1 Phase 2 250 Sep 2005 Mar 2010 99%
Stage 2 750 Jan 2007 Jun 2011 74%
Stage 3 800 Sep 2008 Dec 2013 19%
Stage 4 850 2011 2015 Under Design
Total 3,000 - - 44%

Percentage of Completed R&R Works at Different Stages (as at June 2010)